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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Excellent Driver Roster will Bolster All Stars in 2014

From the mid 90’s to the mid 2000’s the All-Star Circuit of
Champions always boasted a solid group of racers on their tour. The names
changed through the years, but guys like Dale Blaney, Kelly Kinser, Chad
Kemenah, Kenny Jacobs, Frankie Kerr, Kevin Huntley, Greg Wilson, Jason Johnson,
Danny Smith and Lance Dewease all followed the tour at one time during that
span.

After a few down years, in which at one point there were as few
as 5 drivers following the full tour, the University of Northwestern Ohio
(UNOH) All Stars have a driver roster they can boast about again.

Here’s a list of the drivers and teams that are committed to
the tour.

The first two drivers on the list above have dominated the All-Stars
since 2009 and have basically carried the series. Shaffer and Blaney will be
tough to beat again this year as both were fast out of the gate with new teams during
the Florida Speedweeks. Blaney suffered through some motor troubles that
affected the team’s results. Shaffer picked up a second place finish in the season
opener at Bubba Raceway Park.

Wayne Johnson had a tough time in Florida in the 410 sprint
finishing in the top 15just once in the 3 races that Mother Nature
allowed the UNOH All Stars to run. He was able to end his time in Florida on a
high note by winning the Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360’s at East Bay. I
expect him to contend for the title this year even after the slow start.

Danny Holtgraver picked up fifth and sixth place finishes in
Florida and coming off a year where he was 3rd in points he should
be right in the mix again this season.

The driver who may have the best chance to dethrone Shaffer
and Blaney at the top is Chad Kemenah. A four-time champion of the series
himself, Kemenah is back after following the World of Outlaws tour for the last
eight seasons. He had some good results in Florida picking up a second place
finish in night two at Bubba Raceway Park.

There is a strong possibility of a 10th driver
following the tour with CH Motorsports and their 83 car. Christopher Bell was
scheduled to be the driver of the car, but has parted ways with the team. There
are several candidates to replace him and it will be interesting to
see who lands that ride.

Other drivers who you could see at many All Stars events
include David Gravel in the Phoenix Racing 59, whose plans aren't official yet, and
Australian driver James McFadden in the Gaerte 3G.

The Schedule

The schedule features 44 more races this season after Florida. The series will
be split into three regions, the Ohio, Eastern and Midwest along with the National points title. The series will run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,
Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

After their time in Florida the team’s will get the month of
March off before the season picks up again at Attica Raceway Park on April 4th
and 5th for the Spring Nationals.

They will then travel to Williams Grove and Port Royal for a
weekend double header April 25th and 26th.

May features three races in western Pennsylvania, Lernerville
on the 9th, Mercer the 10th, and the newly reopened Allegheny Motor Speedway
May 18th. There will also be
a two day show at Fremont the 24th and 25th.

June features the 2014 edition of the Ohio Sprint Speedweek
from June 20-28. This is the crown jewel week for the series. The nine nights
or racing in a row will be at eight different tracks across the Buckeye State.

July has the Thunder Through the Plains which is a five race
stretch in nine day through the upper Midwest.

There will be two day shows on four straight weekends in
August and September. The first one will be at Mercer Raceway Park on the 23rd-24th
and the second being at Attica Raceway Park the 29th and 30th.

The Tuscarora 50 weekend follows that September 5th-6th
and Fremont will host one the 12th-13th.

The series concludes with a race at Eldora on October 11th.

Predictions

National Points Finish

1. Chad Kemenah

2. Dale Blaney

3. Tim Shaffer

4. Danny Holtgraver

5. Wayne Johnson

Look for Kemenah to come back to the tour and be very
strong after running very respectable with the World of Outlaws the last eight
years on a smaller budget than the big teams, Blaney and Shaffer will be there
again as mainstays atop the standings. Holtgraver, Johnson and Haudenschild,
Helms, Gustin, and Palker will all be in the hunt as well in what will be the
most competitive season for the series in quite some time.

One thing that could shake the standings up is if Gravel
runs the full tour. If he and his team commit to it they have as good a chance
as any of the aforementioned drivers to win the title.

Another shake up could happen if the CH Motorsports team can
have success with their new driver. The team is definitely capable of winning a
title as they've done so 4 times.